Things Trivial and Cherished
by Jixie
Summary: A story about the dysfunctional relationship between a lousy mad scientist dad and his good-for-nothing metal son. About failed expectations, and how the bad apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and that terrible moment when you realize time waits for no man, not even would-be megalomaniac tyrants.
1. Prologue: YEAR003 DAY343 TIME19:06

**Things Trivial and Cherished**

By Jixie 3/2019 / Mega Man © Capcom

\- Note: The setting for this fic is Mandy Paugh's 'verse' (Mega Man: The Series). If you're not familiar, no problem, it's pretty self explanatory. All you need to know is that Mega Man and Break Man (Proto Man) are living beings because reasons, and being alive is a fluke thing that can't be replicated. No other robots are sentient, except maybe Bass, who knows what that guy's deal is?

\- Special thanks to beta readers aJennyAnn and t260g

* * *

Prologue: YEAR.003 DAY.343 TIME.19:06 \\\ `winter'

* * *

It had been a false alarm, signal distortion from the snowstorm.

Having confirmed the all clear, he should have gone back inside. Instead Bass stayed to watch. Large downy snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky, swirling aimless in the gentle wind. It came down in a steady, endless flow. The insulating effect of the snow dampened all sound and the low humidity resulted in a quiet stillness, lending the scene a dreamlike quality.

The fact that it was beautiful wasn't much a surprise. Humans often pointed out how 'pretty' snow was. The fact that he could _perceive_ its beauty…

That was new.

It had only been a minute, but already a light dusting of snow coated his armor.

"Wily," he said, pinging the scientist over the communicator. "Does falling snow feel like it looks?"

"What? Hmph."

Wily was off camera, but Bass could picture his face, eyes rolling, lip curled in a sneer.

A few moments passed, and he sighed. "No, it does not. It melts the instant it lands on you, which means it feels cold and wet, like a raindrop without the impact."

The answer was poetic, but not helpful. For all the times that Bass had been out in the rain, he didn't know how that _felt_ either. He imagined it felt much like it sounded, but the snowflakes made no noise.

"Well, what if you didn't have any body heat?"

"I wouldn't know. If a combat machine needed tactile sensors, then perhaps you could tell me."

"Oh, go shove a sock in it." Bass scowled even though there was no one to see it. Somewhere along the line, making faces stopped being just a communication tool and had become candid self-expression.

"If I didn't have any body heat, I suppose…" Wily continued. "I suppose what I'd feel is eternal gratitude that my creator gave me such an efficient cooling system. Otherwise, my power hungry processor would cook itself in a matter of minutes."

"You're such a hateful old geezer." He stuck out his tongue for added effect.

"So I've been told." There was a brief pause. "Are you quite finished?"

"Yeah, I guess. You should get out here if you can, it's really nice."

"Really nice?" Wily echoed in surprise.

"You know, pretty."

"Pretty? _Pretty!?_" And here it comes. "I didn't build you to admire the scenery, you worthless—" He stopped abruptly, muttering a few things under his breath, too quiet for the communicator to pick up. "Actually, that's… impressive. My programming genius is more extraordinary than even I realized! If it weren't the very antithesis of everything I've worked for, I could revolutionize the entire field!"

Blah, blah, blah. All Bass got out of it was that he truly was the greatest thing Dr. Wily had ever built. He smirked and spent a few more moments amid the billions of snowflakes cascading from the sky, before returning to the fortress.


	2. Impounded

Chapter 1: Impounded

* * *

The fact that Dr. Wily would attack a hospital was low. Even worse, it wasn't the first time that he'd done such a thing. At least the last time he never made it to the building. This time? The call for help was clear: Wily and his robots were inside, threatening doctors and patients.

It was sickening, even for Wily.

Mega Man set the location and teleported to right outside the entrance, where he was greeted by the police. They escorted him in, and he asked them to wait while he scouted ahead.

He made as far as the Emergency wing before he was stopped by a bewildered nurse.

"What, why are _you_ here? Don't come in. The situation's under control. You're just going to set things off."

Mega Man did a double take, glancing past her at a hallway dotted with Guard Joes.

"Umm… with all due respect…"

"Hey, stupid, you heard the lady. The situation is under control."

Mega Man jumped forward, bodily placing himself between the nurse and Bass.

To his surprise, Bass lazily fired a few warning shots in his direction and didn't descend on him. "You know I'm ready to throw down any time, any place. But I know you don't want to fight here, and I'm a little occupied right now, so I'm willing to let it slide this time. Now beat it."

"Please," the nurse urged.

He backed through the elevator doors, gesturing her to follow.

"What's going on here?"

She looked flustered. "I— I can't… patient confidentiality still applies, even to super villains…"

"Wait, what?"

It took a second, but then it hit him. Wily wasn't _attacking_ the hospital.

His robots had brought him there.

* * *

Mega Man stuck around in case things went left, but in the end not even Bass was stupid enough to start firing on the professionals that Wily needed to keep him alive.

The police, it turned out, did not have the respect for patients' rights that the hospital staff had. They told him everything they knew: that Dr. Wily had been teleported in; that the robots had taken the staff hostage but hadn't actually done anything, not yet at least; that the entire wing was on lock down.

It was a brain hemorrhage, apparently.

Not a battle injury, or a lab accident, or anything along those lines. A stroke, not unusual for someone in his age range. Dangerous but survivable, especially if treated quickly— and you didn't get any quicker than teleporation.

There was a grim irony to it all. Was _old age_ going to be the thing that finally took Wily out?

Truthfully Mega Man wasn't sure what the next move was. He was even more relieved than usual when Break Man showed up. "I'll take it from here," his brother said teasingly, and he was happy to let him.

He kept his post at the entrance though… just to play it safe.

* * *

The communication ping caught Bass by surprise. After all, the only person who had any cause or means to contact him was in surgery, and any of Wily's other robots wouldn't have bothered using the communicator.

"Yo," said Break Man.

"How—!?" Bass decided he didn't care how. "Don't you ever use this channel again! Idiot!"

Break Man shrugged. "I was just giving you a heads up, so you don't shoot me when I come through."

"Do _not_ come here—"

"Too late," he replied, popping out from around the corner.

Bass leveled his arm cannon at Break Man anyway. The red and gray robot held up his hands, gesturing that he meant no harm… but he was still armored up, shield slung across his back.

"Get lost."

"Nah, I don't think so." He strolled into the hall and stopped to lean against the wall opposite from Bass, crossed his arms and propped one foot against the baseboard.

All the while, Bass never took his aim off of him. "I said, get lost."

"So what's the long term plan? You going to keep this hospital on lock down until Wily's recovered?"

"Don't be stupid." He was so thrown off by the question that he didn't bother to deflect the answer. "Once he's stable I'm taking him back to the fortress."

There was an awkward pause.

"Umm…"

"No, I'm not going to have those worthless heaps of junk take care of him. I'll bring what's needed from here."

The gears were turning in Break Man's mind. Human hostages in Wily's fortress was bad. It was _very_ bad. It also radically escalated the situation. He needed to nip this in the bud.

"That's a smart move, but it sounds like an awful lot of work to me."

Bass scoffed and pretended as if he wasn't curious about what Break Man had said.

"Think about it," Break Man continued. "Humans are weak and high-maintenance. You won't just need equipment and medicine and staff… you'll need food, water, facilities—"

"'Facilities'?"

He smirked. "I doubt there's enough toilets in the Skull Fortress for a whole group of people."

"I don't care about—!" Bass fumed, but Break Man was quick to cut him off.

"You should. You want their attention focused on Dr. Wily, right? But if they're tired and hungry, they'll be focused on that. If you threaten them and they're scared, they'll be focused on _that_."

"If you think for one second that you're going to talk me into leaving him here, you're out of your mind."

Break Man put on a look of mock indignation, uncrossing his arms so he could plant a hand on his chest.

"Do I _look_ like Mega Man?" Then, before Bass could reply, "Don't answer that." He pushed away from the wall and started to pace. "I know I can't make you do anything that you don't want to, so I'm not even going to try. But I think you're going about this the hard way."

"If he stays here they'll put him in prison."

"So?" He stopped, staring hard through his shades. "You know they'll take good care of him there. It's the safest and most elegant option on the table."

"I can't do that."

"What, are you afraid you won't be able to break him out later?"

That turned out to be exactly the right button to press. Bass lost his composure and fired on him. The blasts weren't charged, so Break Man just braced himself and took it to the chest. It didn't exactly tickle, but he could afford to take a few shots.

The gambit paid off. When Break Man failed to go on the offensive or defensive, Bass lowered his cannon, anger quickly fizzing out. He looked lost.

No human would've picked up on it, but Break Man could sense that Bass was struggling with things he couldn't express, and was too emotionally stunted to even know where to start. It was a difficult position for Bass to be in. The fact was, Wily was the _only_ person in his circle— even on a good day, the old man wasn't exactly a great source for guidance or answers. As infuriating as it was, Mega Man and Break Man were the closest thing he had to peers. Dealing with Mega Man was out of the question, not that he'd ever want to, but Break Man was at least (relatively) neutral.

"Even if he pulls through this, he's going to die," Bass said. "Not now, but eventually. A couple years maybe."

Now this… _this_ was something Break Man was intimately familiar with. "Believe me, I get it. That sickening feeling, knowing your father is only human, and someday he's going to die—"

"Ugh. You don't know anything." He shot him a look of derision. "It isn't like that at all. Wily is _not__—_ he's just— he's the only engineer that can take care of my maintenance and repairs who isn't on that blue pest's side."

"Whatever you say."

"And this isn't like when your precious Dr. Light almost died, either. That was because Mega Man is weak and failed to protect him." Bass twisted the facts to fit his narrative, but Break Man knew that this wasn't exactly the right time to argue about it. "Wily almost died because he's old and his health is failing."

Dr. Light's age and mortality was one of those heartbreaking things that would occasionally keep Break Man up at night. It was obvious that while Bass had been _aware_ of the transient nature of human life, he clearly hadn't given it any real thought. Over the years Wily'd had many brushes with death and always managed to somehow land on his feet. But time waits for no man, not even megalomaniac would-be tyrants. Bass was only just now starting to acknowledge his creator's inevitable march towards death, and how little time left there really was.

It was also pretty clear that Bass and Wily's relationship was broken and dysfunctional, perhaps irreparably so. _That_, however, Break Man had been aware of since… well, since Bass was first built.

Break Man was silent.

Frustrated, Bass looked away. "That stupid thing you said that you felt, is that pain?"

There was no retaliation, he could afford to take that shot too.

"Yeah… it is." Break Man wanted to say more, but realized he had nothing else to add.

* * *

When he later explained the decision to Wily, Break Man was conveniently left out of the story, and Bass would claim that 'break him out of prison later' had been his plan all along.

The important thing was that once he was out of surgery and stabilized, the Joes bailed. Bass hung around for the next two days, keeping stationed by the door, never once setting foot in Wily's room. Mega Man, standing by in the lobby, found it was both the most boring forty-eight hours in his life and the most bizarre Dr. Wily-based threat he'd ever dealt with.

There was always the chance that this was an elaborate plot— Wily'd had more contrived ones than this before— but Mega Man had a feeling it wasn't. He wasn't about to start a firefight in a hospital just to find out, and no one else pushed him to confront Bass.

After the second day Bass left, and tac officers stationed themselves where the Joes had been before, with Wily finally under police custody.

"Mega Man," said one of the officers, evidently the one in charge. Tall, dark, and aggressively average looking. He offered a hand and a quick nod. "Sergeant Jahveri. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

He was happy to shake Jahveri's hand, it was a rare friendly gesture when people all too often assumed it didn't matter to him. "The pleasure's all mine. Let me guess, you can take it from here? I don't mind staying a little longer for some added security, if you want me to."

"Actually, it would be best if you weren't anywhere near here. Believe it or not, we actually do try to develop anti-robot weapons, and… well, one of the measures we're taking here is a specialized EMP device. Its got a pretty tight radius so we only have to worry about shielding any equipment in the rooms immediately next to and above Wily's." He shook his head. "I'd hate to find out we miscalculated and have anything happen to you."

* * *

Dr. Light's feelings about Dr. Wily were complicated. By and large, he hated the man. All the same, he dreaded getting the call that said Wily had taken a turn for the worse and died. And… it wasn't in a general, 'doesn't wish ill on others' sense.

When he first answered the com request and found Sergeant Jahveri on the line, he naturally assumed they needed Mega Man's help again. When he found out that no, they needed Dr. Light himself… well, then he assumed the worst.

So he was quite surprised to find out it was nothing of the sort. They had a completely different problem on their hands. At some point Bass had returned to check in on Wily, only to be dropped by the the EMP device.

"What can I say? Sometimes the fish just jump into the boat." The sergeant chuckled.

"Beg your pardon?"

"See, because… uh, this robot is called Bass…"

This earned a laugh, but not for the reason Jahveri expected. "Oh no, it's 'base'. Like the musical term."

"Ah. Well, the good news is we've got Wily and now we have his attack dog. The bad news is… we know how to handle Wily, heaven knows we've got enough practice. But the criminal laws that relate to the Humanoid Robot Act are… well, we're still hammering out the fine points. Normally when we land a Wily 'bot, we just yank the darn thing's CPU and scrap the rest."

Dr. Light actually winced. "You said you were in the tac division?"

"No. I mean, I was. We've formed a small— very small— robot crime division after, ah, after Mega Man was framed for murder…"

"Oh."

"Sorry." Jahveri held up his hands. "It's the truth, though. Mega Man was very gracious and cooperative, but it made us realize how unprepared we were for robots who wouldn't be and who couldn't simply be disposed of. I'm calling you because it looks like we've got a live one."

"I see. I suppose you're requesting, hmm, a professional consultation."

Jahveri grinned. "You understand, then."

* * *

Dr. Light was surprised the police were even aware that Bass might be sentient or alive or that they were perhaps now screening for such things. If Bass had already been shut down by the EMP, it would've been a lot easier, and cleaner, for them to simply destroy him and not ask any questions. Like Wily's poor health, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about this turn.

Also he would've been lying if he didn't admit he was intensely curious about getting a closer look at Wily's champion robot. He'd never had the chance to examine Bass's programming or inner workings. If Wily actually _had_ built a bioroid, well…

Sergeant Jahveri hadn't been exaggerating when he said it was a small crew. At the prison he was introduced to Officer Giertz, a petite blonde with cropped hair and an eager manner, and Officer Nedry, a high-strung giant of a man who was built like a refrigerator. The other two members.

Containment was a mismatched combination of things that had been commissioned from various places. Dr. Light recognized Dr. Cossack's elegantly designed Trirainium cuffs— which not only acted as restraints but also prevented the use of an arm cannon or any similarly designed weapons. The prison itself was already equipped with teleportation-preventative forcefields. The cell, far more secure than the one Mega Man had been held in, was courtesy of a military armor and security manufacturer. It was impressive, rivaling anything Wily had ever cooked up.

It was also empty, save for the sole occupant. Bass sat cross-legged on the ground, looking bored. Fortunately for him, he didn't actually experience boredom, and when he wasn't calculating an escape plan, he simply dropped into idle mode.

Unfortunately for them, Bass had already figured out the game.

"I don't want to take your stupid test. And you can't make me, can you? Because that would defeat the purpose." He flashed them a wicked grin. "All these new laws and procedures, too. You're under a lot of scrutiny to make sure you get this right. So… you don't want to kill me unless you're _sure_, but you can't be sure if I don't take the test."

"Just take the test, you blasted robot." Jahveri was growing weary of his nonsense.

"Can I talk to a lawyer? How does that work, do I get a lawyer? Or is that a human only right, not privilege to disenfranchised, second-class robot citizens—"

"I believe as it stands now," Dr. Light said, "that you have equal legal rights… _if_ you are proved to posses free-will. By refusing the test, you're forfeiting those rights."

Bass was being entirely glib, of course, and seemed annoyed that Dr. Light was responding earnestly.

"Just what are you going to do if I pass, anyway? Ten to fifteen years minimum, with a chance of early parole after five?" He laughed. "How exactly do you guys plan to punish 'bad' robots?"

"That's up to the judge to decide," Jahveri replied.

"I heard they're thinking of some kind of mandatory community service," said Giertz. "With a control chip or something?"

Jahveri shot her a look of disapproval— he hadn't wanted to get into any of that. Then he noticed that Bass had faltered and decided to press.

"That, or 'rehabilitation'."

It was clear what he meant by that, and a dark look flashed across the robot's face.

"How very Dr. Wily of you," Bass said. Then he stood and approached the front of the cell— a powerful force field sandwiched between electric grids, which he was only foolish enough to try to breaking through once. It might not be pain per se, but Bass did get feedback from internal damage, and it was clear that with enough contact that the cell walls would fry him. He stood there and studied the four of them, expression unreadable. "That what you're here for?" he finally asked Dr. Light.

"Good heavens, no. I'm just a consultant."

"No one's doing anything yet," Jahveri said. "I told you, it's up to the judge. We have procedures that will be followed, and before there can be a hearing we need to establish culpability—"

"Where's the line?"

"What?"

"Where did you draw the line? How 'human' do we have to be to qualify. What if you find…" He glowered at them. "If you find that Wily gives me a long leash, but there's _still a leash_, you going to put me down like a mad dog?"

Jahveri groaned and turned to Dr. Light. "You see what I mean? What am I supposed to do with this?"

Dr. Light thought about it for a moment.

"Can I take a look at his programming?"

"Yeah, we expected as much."

"I'll turn it off," Nedry said as he left.

"Wait. Wait." Bass actually looked… nervous? He crossed his arms over his chest protectively. "That's invasion of privacy or something. You can't just go prying into someone's mind—"

"Next time you see Mega Man, ask him how many times Wily has done it to him. I've lost count." Then Dr. Light softened. "I'm not going to do anything, it will just be an examination. I'd like to see if—"

Then Nedry triggered a remote shutdown, and Bass crumpled to the floor.

"Ah, well. Never mind, I suppose."

* * *

What Dr. Light noticed first was just how much Dr. Wily had blatantly copied Mega Man's programming.

What he noticed second was how radically it differed.

It was complex and messy. Random, almost, like a vine growing through the cracks in cement. He couldn't understand why. Then it dawned on him. Evidently Wily had been trying to replicate Mega Man in hopes of building a robot that could defeat him. Yet without that spark of life, it proved impossible. So, Wily had come up with a brilliant work around. He built a foundation, then developed an AI program that could grow and adapt. Dr. Light could see Wily's touches, the things he had specifically installed, but a great deal of it seemed to be… learned experiences and navigating the world and this gradual growth and maturation.

The horrible, ridiculous irony of it all was that Dr. Light was a truly brilliant roboticist, and most of Wily's knowledge came from him. From a software perspective however, Mega Man was largely an accident— the product of pure chance, while Bass was the product of an incredible talent, and some wildly outside of the box thinking. Dr. Wily _had_ beat Dr. Light, just not the way he wanted or would even admit to. Wily still very much loathed the idea of free thinking, self-aware machines; this accomplishment undoubtedly ate away at him.

What was interesting about it was that Dr. Light could see evidence of these conflicting needs. Bass had been telling the truth when he spoke of Wily's restrictions. The robot was fairly autonomous… but not completely so. While it was mostly coding that encouraged or nudged the AI to a desired outcome, there were also suppressors to curb certain behaviors and a few mandatory commands. At the same time Wily had, surprisingly, allowed for any and all traits or emotions, no matter how 'pointless' they were— and these Bass had in abundance.

What value did humor, or jealousy, or aesthetics have to a weapon?

Yet Dr. Light found that Bass's most frequently accessed memory file was not any of his battles with Mega Man or the Robot Masters. It was a snowstorm, serene and idyllic. _Picturesque_. He'd had a brief, silly conversation with Wily about the snow, their banter teasing, almost playful. The memory was both trivial and cherished.

Therein lie the problem. That Bass was a person in all the ways that mattered, Dr. Light had no doubt. Whether or not he could pass the test to earn that legal right… well, this Dr. Light was uncertain.

No, that wasn't true. The qualifier wasn't self-awareness or emotional complexity, it was agency. There were no degrees of free-will, and in the end it didn't matter how close it was— like falling off a ledge, there was no difference between being a foot out or an inch, the end result was the same. Which was a shame, because it _was_ so close.

Officer Giertz was the only other person in the room, and she wasn't paying him any mind. She alternated between picking at her nails or fiddling with her handheld com unit. The prison computer terminal was horrendously outdated— a slow, clumsy piece of equipment. Even so. It would be nothing for someone of Dr. Light's caliber to make a few critical modifications and then cover his tracks.

He pondered over this for a few minutes. It would free Bass from Wily's stricter controls and practically guarantee his legal status. If he was being honest, it would also be a satisfying, rightful payback for Wily's meddling with Mega Man's programming.

But then he thought about Mega Man, and how terrible it was for _anyone__—_ even Dr. Light himself— to reprogram him without his knowledge and approval. It didn't matter if it was in his best interest or not, it was still an incredible violation.

With that in mind, Dr. Light knew he couldn't bring himself to reprogram Bass, not like this, no matter what the stakes. With a heavy sigh, he collected his notes, the disk of snapshots and copied snippets that he'd made for further review, and let Giertz know he was finished.


	3. Senescence

Chapter 2: Senescence

* * *

After endless haranguing, Sergeant Jahveri finally gave up and let Bass have a 'proper' interrogation. This was a mistake. This was a _tragic_ mistake. The fact of the matter was that Bass didn't really care about law and justice, or his legal rights, or anything else along those lines.

What he wanted was attention.

Outside of the cell, they used an experimental energy inhibitor that would, in theory, prevent an escape. Bass didn't even make an attempt, he was in no rush and had better things to do now… Now that he had a captive audience.

Dr. Light had returned with his assessment, and a highly amused Giertz led him straight to a very put upon Jahveri and the egomaniacal Bass. The black and gold robot was mid-rant when Dr. Light was herded into the room.

"Think about it, right? As a human, you don't have a defined purpose. At some point, you end up asking yourself: 'Why am I here? What's the reason for living?' Well, I don't have that problem. I've always known what my purpose is. My problem is if I succeed— if I accomplish that goal— then I _no longer have a purpose_. Frankly I'm almost better off losing to that stupid little pipsqueak." Bass tapped his finger on the table. "What's worse? Being a failure, or being redundant?" Then he slammed his fist down. "It's a trick question. They both suck."

"Jiminy Cricket," Jahveri hissed under his breath. He gave Dr. Light a questioning look. "Is… is that robot having an existential crisis?"

Dr. Light stroked his beard. "It certainly would appear so."

"Hey. Hey!" Bass impatiently waved his hands at Jahveri. "I'm right here. You're talking to me, not him. Leave that fat old man out of this."

"Excuse me?" Dr. Light said.

"Shut up. I was saying—"

Jahveri groaned and leaned over until his forehead rested on the table.

If there was any silver lining, it's that he'd refused to humor Bass on the lawyer issue. That would've been truly catastrophic.

* * *

Mega Man had been strangely conflicted about Dr. Light's decision not to reprogram Bass when he had the chance. What was really shocking, although they didn't know it, was that Break Man was just as conflicted when he found out about it— and he had always drawn a hard line on the reprogramming issue.

It did push him to action, though. Fortunately, both Mega Man and Dr. Light were wise enough to never ask about it.

As secure as the place was from the inside, the prison was not nearly as prepared for an attack from the outside. Somehow… _somehow_… Wily's Robot Masters had got wind of Bass's whereabouts. Junk Man and Grenade Man where able to break in effortlessly. Even more interesting was the fact they'd been ordered not harm any of the guards.

They simply ignored what the prison guards shot at them, which to be fair, did only minor damage. Unprepared for the attack, and woefully under equipped to handle robots, the whole thing was a comedy of errors.

Junk Man picked up one poor officer and tossed him across the room, then fired at the controls for the fancy robot-proof cell. The electric grid and forcefield flickered then disappeared, and Bass leisurely strolled out.

"About time."

"Yeah, yeah."

"How is Wily?"

"How should I know?"

At that Bass's face fell, and in a fit of extraordinary stubbornness, he stepped back into the cell and sat down. "Forget it. Go HOME, find out if your creator is ALIVE, and _then_ you can come back. You know what, Junk Man? You're not even worth the energy it'd take to smelt you down into base metals _for recycling_."

Then the right side of Grenade Man's upper body exploded into shrapnel, which was quite a turn from the harmless laser shots that they'd shrugged off. All three looked over at Officer Giertz, who had just arrived on the scene, armed with a considerably more effective blaster. The other guards scrambled out of the vicinity. She shot Grenade Man again and he went down, completely wrecked.

Then she fired at the security camera.

"Yes, he's alive! What do you think you're doing, you munted steel brat?" She shot at Junk Man, intentionally missing. "Get! Shoo!"

Bass stared at her, incredulous, but didn't hesitate.

"Take a left. Fifteen meters down is the nearest external wall. You'll have to make a door."

"Wait, you got a key?" He lifted his hands, indicating the Trirainium cuffs.

"D'ya want to find out if your armor's any better than your mate's?"

He didn't need to be told twice. "No, ma'am." Bass took off after Junk Man, then stopped short, turning to look back at Giertz. "You're right handed yeah?"

Understanding the question, she gave a curt nod. With that, Bass snatched a discarded laser off the ground and very deliberately shot her in the left arm, then he ran.

Dropping the blaster, Giertz sank to the floor, her arm burning and the reality of what she'd just done sinking in. But what choice did she have? She'd realized the same thing Dr. Light had, and she knew exactly how it was going to end. Like Jahveri said, they had procedures, and those would've been followed, and…

…and then, remarkably, she had the opportunity to avert all that. There had been no choice, really.

She'd seen her chance and took it.

* * *

Junk Man was busy smashing through the cement wall— it was a shame Grenade Man had been taken out— when another round of correction officers tried to corner them. By then Bass had about enough of them. He didn't have access to his cannon, but who needed a weapon when you _were_ one?

"Oh God!" the guard screamed when Bass grabbed him, flailing in a desperate attempt to break free. "Help!"

The others stopped shooting, unwilling to hit their coworker… but they also backed up a little, unwilling to put themselves in further danger.

"Any of you chumps got a key to these stupid handcuffs?" When he got no response, he gripped the hostage by the back of the skull. "C'mon, guys. Don't let this poor slob die because you're chicken."

"Don't worry," said one of the other guards, and tried to sound reassuring. "They can't intentionally kill people."

Bass shook his head. "Uh, no. I'm not that kind of robot."

The captive guard was clawing at his hands, pleading for his life. Bass was going to apply pressure when he suddenly jolted, dropping the guard in surprise. Junk Man, waiting for him right outside the makeshift exit, looked questioningly.

"They got electric shock weapons too?"

"No! I—?" Bass paused, reeling, then jumped out after Junk Man. "Let's just get the heck out of here."

* * *

Break Man had always been perceptive, and over the years he'd developed a special talent for reading others.

For example, most people would've seen the wreckage of an old Skull Fortress, having been leveled years ago, and never looked past the surface. Break Man saw the fresh damage and knew that Bass was here and in a bad way. The level of vandalism, and whether or not he was targeting anything marked with Wily's trademark 'W', told Break Man a lot. This was not the worst tantrum Bass had thrown, but it certainly ranked up there.

The fact that things where _smashed_, not shot at— that was odd. The reason became obvious when he finally caught up with Bass, who was still shackled, unable to use his weapon.

"Get these things off," he demanded. "If you even can. I'm about ready to just rip one my hands off and be done with it."

Break Man examined the cuffs. Losing a hand to get free was actually a pretty clever idea… it was an easy repair, and it wouldn't have hurt him. Perhaps more telling was the fact that Bass hadn't done it while he'd been imprisoned.

"It's a digital lock, but you're in luck." He pulled his shield forward and started punching in the right settings. "I just so happen to have a code breaker here."

"What a mess. These humans are really getting on my nerves. I've got enough problems already with Wily, then they have the gall to get in my business." Bass was unusually desperate, he normally wasn't so open with Break Man right off the bat. "'Are you a person?' 'Do you have rights?' Who cares. Do I look like I care?"

"Nope."

"Exactly. What does it even matter, anyway? Why are they so obsessed?"

"Why did you refuse the test to determine free-will?"

Bass didn't reply, and Break Man just shook his head.

There was a long pause before Bass continued his tirade. "I couldn't get the key without killing this guard on the way out, and out of _nowhere_ I had this crazy thought— this guy's life means nothing to me, but maybe… maybe it means everything to somebody. Like kids or something?" He paused. "I couldn't believe it. It was so surprising I let— he managed to get away. I've never had that kind of feeling before."

Break Man studied him for a moment. "It's called 'empathy'."

"I know that!" In fact, he did not. There was another pause. "And?"

"And what?"

"What else were you going to say?" Bass asked.

"Empathy is when you can imagine what another person is feeling. You thought about how much it would hurt his kids if their father died, because of the concern you have for—"

"Oh no, not that crap again. Don't compare Wily to a— to—"

He couldn't even say the word.

"—some kind of parent figure." Then he snorted in disgust. "Empathy— pffh. That's got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

"Got it," Break Man said, derailing the subject as the code breaker finally unlocked the cuffs.

With a flick of the wrist Bass had them off and then held them out to Break Man as if holding a dead rat. "Take 'em. I'm sure you'll find some use for them." Then, he spoke in a taunting tone, baiting for a reaction. "As soon as Wily's on his feet, I'm going to have him delete that useless emotion."

Break Man knew the real gut punch response would be to ask why Bass didn't have Wily delete _all_ of his 'useless' emotions. He thought about it for a second.

"Don't be too hasty. Empathy has its uses."

"Suuuure it does."

Obviously, the fact that it helped with relationships, or general social interactions, or really just being a decent person… those things Bass wouldn't consider 'useful'. Fortunately Break Man knew what he had to do.

"Well, think about it. When you're fighting Mega Man, you can anticipate his moves based on experience, right? You know his abilities, his behavior, fighting style, that stuff. Only… he fights differently when he's angry or scared. You can use empathy to get into his head." Break Man tapped the side of his helmet. "Figure out what he'd going to do based on his state of mind."

"That's what you do, isn't it?" Bass said, thinking it over.

"See, now you're getting it."

"You care about Dr. Light very much, don't you."

It was so abrupt, and not exactly a question.

"Yes, I do," said Break Man.

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence.

"Is it possible to care about someone even when you can't stand them? To have both of those things at the same time…" Bass asked with great trepidation. "Can that happen?"

Break Man laughed sharply.

"Don't be a jerk."

"Bass, are you serious? That's completely normal. That may actually be the most normal thing about you."

Surprisingly, there was no snarky comeback. Bass rubbed his wrist where the handcuffs had been, although that was purely an affectation, it wasn't like he was sore. "I wonder how Junk Man and Grenade Man knew where to find me," he observed dryly.

"Don't I get a 'thank you'?" He knew better than to inquire on where the two Robot Masters were— resting in pieces, no doubt.

"Nah. I didn't need your help." Bass smirked, and stepped back, prepared to teleport. "See ya."

Then he was gone.

"Well, you're welcome anyway," Break Man said to the air.

* * *

If there was one thing to be said about Dr. Wily, it was that he never, ever, _ever_ gave up.

Ever.

It was no minor thing to bounce back from, but sheer grit drove him during the long months of recovery and rehabilitation. Some of the effects from the stroke would linger for years. Some would be with him the rest of his life. He was more reliant on his robots for little things, after it. He would've had to anyway, eventually, as age wore him down, but this health crisis had sped that up a bit.

There was a technical term for aging: senescence. It rolled off the tongue with an almost lyrical quality. Bass was annoyed that such an awful word sounded so nice. He felt like it was some sort of injustice.

Once his health improved, Wily was moved to a secure penal hospital. Within days he had escaped. Busting him out was a cakewalk.

It was only afterwards that things fell apart.

* * *

Teleportation was weird and uncomfortable and always left Wily feeling slightly queasy. He stumbled away from Bass and felt a wave of relief as he glanced around his lab. Home at last.

Time to get to work.

He booted up his main computer console, and glanced over his shoulder, surprised that Bass was still standing there with an annoyed look on his face.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

This earned a sneer, and Wily huffed in exasperation.

"What do you expect, gratitude? Thanks for _doing what you're supposed to_?"

"You! You almost died," Bass replied angrily. "Someday you _will_ die."

"Yes, yes, and? That's what happens. All living things eventually die." It was especially frustrating because while Wily was happy to be recovered, he was also feeling the creeping dread of his own mortality. The last thing he wanted to do was have to reassure someone else… especially a robot. "What does it matter to you? Are you afraid of being all alone? 'Boo hoo hoo'."

"Shut up! You're weak, and a failure, and I _hate_ what you just put me through. You're the only person I've ever given a damn about, but I don't know how you— if you think of me as anything but an expensive machine!"

"Augh." Wily groaned, rubbing his temples to stave off the growing migraine. "This… this is exactly why I hate the idea of autonomous robots. They should be obedient and mindless and not petulant brats. I've created an abomination—"

"You DARE—"

Bass closed the distance between them in a fraction of a second and grabbed Wily by the jacket, effortlessly lifting him several inches off the floor. Wily felt a rush of terror, rather suddenly realizing that if he angered Bass enough, one careless blow would be all it took to end him. He'd installed safety checks to prevent deliberate violence against himself, but Wily wasn't entirely sure the robot wouldn't _accidentally_ kill him.

Seeing the fear in Wily's face, Bass wordlessly dropped him, and teleported out.

* * *

He manually cut off his GPS and communicator, going off-grid. Bass stormed the woods, taking pot shots at passing birds and kicking over innocent trees. A fight with Mega Man— or literally anyone right now— would've been so much more satisfying, but it also would've attracted Wily's attention and given up his location… so he couldn't even come up with a decent outlet for his rage.

It was a good three days before he finally checked his communicator. Wily had pinged him several times. Reluctantly he called back.

Dr. Wily looked a little surprised and a little annoyed. "Come back, you moron."

"Goodbye, Wily—"

"Wait, _wait_." His expression shifted between frustration and… desperation? It started to dawn on Bass that Wily wasn't just frustrated with him, but also at himself. "I— how can you possibly not know— Look." He held up his hands. "Every mod, every upgrade, is now done with your consent. I've never rolled you back to a previous version, even if I wasn't happy with the outcome. I don't tamper with or erase anything, or pry into your memories, when I know you've been off palling around with Proto Man—"

"We're not friends."

"Would you just listen?" Wily sagged and huffed before continuing. "I don't have to give you that respect, but I've chosen to anyway. This wasn't always the case and you know it. And… that's the best I can do. If there's something more you want from me, it's not going to happen."

"You really make such a compelling argument…"

He laughed bitterly. "Well, what do you expect? I am just as much a disappointment to you as you are a disappointment to me."

* * *

Dr. Wily was startled when Bass strolled into the lab like nothing had happened.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to come home after all."

"I'm not here for you, to help you or do your dirty work," Bass replied, crossing his arms. "It's just that blue twerp is bound to show up here sooner or later… and I'll be waiting and ready for him."

"Suit yourself."

He went back to work, and for a few minutes it seemed like that was the end of it.

"Either way, I'm glad. The Joes are terrible company," Wily said.

"It's not the Joes, it's you. _You're_ terrible company."

"Hmph! You're one to talk."

Bass sneered, then hesitated.

"Are you _actually_ glad?"

"Are you looking for validation?"

"No." He was.

Wily let out a dry chuckle and slowly shook his head. "Yes, Bass, I meant what I said."

It was clear the robot had no idea how to respond. Wily heaved a sigh.

"'And I'm glad you didn't die, Dr. Wily'."

"Yeah, that," he agreed. "So what are you working on, anyway?"

Wily queued up the new fortress blueprints on his screen.

"While I was stuck in that dreadful hospital with nothing to do, I was struck with inspiration on a new fortress layout…"

Bass strolled over to look at the screen, leaned on the console with his right hand, and ever so awkwardly placed his left hand on Dr. Wily's shoulder. Wily flinched in surprise from the contact. Hard cold metal lacked the reassuring aspect of human touch, and careful as Bass was, the weight of his hand was a little uncomfortable.

Still…

Still, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. He could appreciate the intent behind the gesture.

It was a start.


End file.
